Hey guys, this is my first season and my first post here, so be gentle...

Quick question... my ML team is just absolutely barren. I have a great group of prospects, all of whom are Hi A, AA, and AAA guys. Aside from having to pay them more and starting the ticking on their contracts, is it harmful to their development to go on and put them on the ML team? I have a HUGE coaching payroll and can surround them with the best coaches and they are all 21, 22, 23 years old....

I guess my question is pretty simple.... does bringing a guy up to the ML before he would otherwise "be ready" hinder his development into the ratings that I foresee him developing into?

Just found this on a page I have never stumbled upon before.... Looks like it answers my question!

You’ll see over 100 players develop over the course of a full minor league season that spans from rookie ball to AAA. Think your hot prospect is ready for the show? Call him up. But make sure he’s ready or his career could take a turn for the worse.

Thanks for all of the help fellas... Still learning the ins-and-outs, and everything will be much more clear once I see where these coaches fall. (For instance, as it stands now, my AAA coaches may end up being better at their respective jobs than my ML coaches.... sellouts. Ha!)

Posted by jptrainwreck on 3/5/2013 12:35:00 PM (view original):If they have 3 or 4 years in the minors, I'd bring them up. I'd wait until 20 games into the season to keep an extra year of team control, but I would not let age stop me.

FWIW, I consider this a poor strategy. WIthout roster manipulation, you can control a player for 10 seasons(3 minimum, 2 arb, 5 long term deal). If a player is 22-23, you've got him until his decline will begin no matter what(pitchers are a bit different). Holding a guy in AAA when he's better AND you're trying to win is a waste. Likewise, the first 20 games of every season features 10, one third of the season total, games against divisionmates. 7-3 instead of 5-5 might be the difference between a division title/bye and the 6 seed.

IMO, people worry far too much about what their team will look like in May of 2016 than what it looks like in March 2013.

You are correct. My advise is likely best suited for only a small group of prospects.
The age of the player in quesiton should be a factor, with the quality of the team as well, the position played and the player's talent level.

With most pitchers able to hold ratings through their mid 30's, If I have a #1-3 type SP, I definitely would prefer to lose 4 ML starts at the start of their ML career to guarantee a season with 30+ potential starts in the prime of their career. Same thing with a top relief pitcher. 6-12 innings in year one for a top setup guy is not worth losing 70-120 innings later in the career. Would do the same with an all star level position player too. If you rest them in the minors to start the season, they can end up with as many ML bats in 140 games as they would get in a 162 game season anyway.

If the player in question is a league average guy/below, or a guy I would not want to sign long term for full "retail price" at the end of arb, then bring him up. Completely agree with Mike; try your best to win every year.

But for any elite type player, I want the extra year of contract control.

No, you're losing 5 starts from a SP or 80 AB from a position player in a season where those could be difference-makers in hopes that the money saved is a difference-maker is season's to come. Anyway, after missing the playoffs by 1-3 games more times than I care to think about, holding a good player back for the future seems like a bad idea.

Using Powell as an example, I didn't start the season with him on the BL roster. Therefore, Hardball Dynasty – Fantasy Baseball Sim Games - Player Profile: Pedro Molina got three starts. Pitched well in the first one, got bombed in the other two. That's when I made the decision to call up Powell. Maybe I win those two and I'm 2 games out of a playoff spot. Or maybe I just get blasted anyway. Either way, I threw away two games playing the "roster manipulation" game. If I fall two games short of a playoff spot, I'll be very ****** at myself.

Koch got hurt but it's more an issue of staff construction. Mercado and Springer are the only two pitchers who have done nothing but start(prior to Powell's call-up). I generally start the season with "These three are my SP1-3" and then figure out who's more effective. I didn't have a third. It should have been Powell.